In recent posts, we have written about the how noise, in the form of all of the marketing and public relations messages that we receive every day and that are so much a part of our everyday lives, make it difficult for us to communicate our messages to stakeholders.

That is why content marketing has become important in recent years.

Content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience.

In a nutshell, content creation is all about creating the kinds of published information that our stakeholders want to receive and in fact, look forward to receiving.

Content can be in the form of written articles, letters or videos.

Let’s use an example to illustrate. Let’s imagine that one of your intended stakeholder groups includes parents of children who are not yet school age.

This is a group who is generally very difficult to reach.

You could, and probably should send direct mail to these parents informing them about your school or district, illustration some of the great benefits of the district and encouraging the parents to take a tour.

But what if in addition to this marketing letter, you used content marketing to send another piece, perhaps a simple document or article that explains to parents what they can do to ensure their children are ready for school? This article could be simple and engaging and filled with great information.

The article could end with an invitation for those parents to sign up for an e-newsletter list where more information is sent to them by your school or district on a regular basis.

Content marketing is all about providing value. And since value leads to trust, it is a great tool for your school or district.